Christian Mystics: 108 Seers, Saints, and Sages

By Carl McColman

Christian Mystics: 108 Seers, Saints and Sages celebrates the many types of mystics, visionaries, wisdom keepers, and non-dualists whose spiritual insight and perceptive teachings have illuminated the Christian tradition for the past two thousand years. Looking at 108 mystics from Biblical times to the present day, this user-friendly guide shows how the spiritual masters of the western tradition provide a variety of paths into the transforming heart of God. Everyone needs teachers and companions to guide and nurture us in developing rich interior lives -- as we seek to respond to the beatifying, deifying love of God. The mystics, whose legacy includes sublime poetry, fascinating autobiographies, and potentially life-changing teachings, can help anyone find greater love, purpose, and a deeper sense of God's presence. But the mystics are not a uniform bunch, which is why this book is such an essential guide to their lives, wisdom, and essential teachings. Carl McColman, author of The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, organizes the mystics into nine categories: visionaries, confessors, lovers, poets, saints, heretics, wisdom keepers, soul-friends, and unitives. By profiling twelve examples of great mystics and spiritual teachers in each category, the book can help you to learn more about the mystics, and identify those whose writings will be most valuable to you as you pursue your own adventure of falling ever more deeply in love with God.All of the most famous Christian mystics are profiled here: figures like Teresa of Ávila, Meister Eckhart, Julian of Norwich, John of the Cross, Evelyn Underhill, Thomas Merton, and anonymous masters like the authors of classics like The Cloud of Unknowing or The Way of a Pilgrim. But the book also will introduce you to many lesser known (but truly wonderful) mystical geniuses, such as Beatrice of Nazareth, Gregory of Narek, and Coventry Patmore. Nor does the book shy away from living (or recently living) mystics: visionaries such as Howard Thurman, Sara Grant, Kenneth Leech, and Bruno Barnhart are all included.This informative volume will appeal to those who buy religious reference books and anyone interested in Christian mysticism or western spirituality. But it's more than just a history book or an encyclopedia: Christian Mystics: 108 Seers, Saints and Sages is a curated celebration of western spiritual wisdom, making it accessible for all seekers today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Broadleaf Books
• Release date: Nov 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9781506485775

Carl McColman

Carl McColman is a blogger, author, and spiritual director based in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He is the author of ten previous books exploring spirituality from a variety of perspectives.

Book preview

Praise for Christian Mystics

Carl McColman offers an inspiring introduction to a broad range of 108 Western Christian mystics, helpfully divided into nine different kinds of mystics. The book is written in lucid, nonacademic language that allows it to be accessible to a wide range of people.

—Tilden Edwards, author of Living in the Presence

"I used to carry around Evelyn Underhill's classic, Mysticism. My copy of Bernard McGinn's anthology is marked on every page. But now, Carl McColman's Christian Mystics will be my go-to guide."

—Jon M. Sweeney, author of The Enthusiast: How the Best

Friend of Francis of Assisi Almost Destroyed What He Started

How blessed we are to have this book! I have begun my morning sit lately by reading here from another ancestor in the ways of faith, hope, and love. Carl McColman not only broadens our notion of mysticism, but in rather simple format, also deepens it, and thus invites every Christian on the same beloved path.

—Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, Center for Action and Contemplation

This useful and engaging book is, as the author says, a kind of speed-dating introduction to the world of Christian mystics. It's of real value both for beginners and for more experienced readers, who may have overlooked some of the great mystics of the past.

—Richard Smoley, author of Inner Christianity:

A Guide to the Esoteric Tradition

A treasure trove of the Christian mystics—seers, saints and sages—presented in all their rich diversity and offered as mentors to guide the contemporary Christian toward an encounter with the presence of God.

—Dana Greene, author of Evelyn Underhill: Artist of

the Infinite Life and Denise Levertov: A Poet's Life

A great gift of a distillation of 108 wise and worthy guides on the mystical way, each entry offering a spark for further exploration.

—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, author of nine books

on the spiritual life including Illuminating the Way:

Embracing the Wisdom of Monks and Mystics

We live to feel alive. We need to know love and joy. And I feel this book could help safeguard—and encourage—many tender, precious unfurling wings.

—Daniel Ladinsky, bestselling author of

The Gift and Love Poems from God

"Christian Mystics is a delightful spiritual banquet, a real feast, giving us a taste of the many mystics throughout time who can serve as our teachers and companions."

—Colette Lafia, author of Seeking Surrender: How my Friendship

with a Trappist Monk Taught me to Trust and Embrace Life

Carl McColman's wise and gentle primer has introduced me to many mystics I've never heard of, as well as renewed my acquaintance with some favorites like Julian of Norwich, Meister Eckhart, and Richard Rohr. This book brings mystics down to earth even while bringing readers that much closer to heaven. I will be turning to it many times in the coming years.

—Jana Riess, author of Flunking Sainthood

Drawing together an array of colorful visionaries and sublime poets, this book is an elegant guide to the essence of those awakened souls who transcend religiosity while simultaneously opening our hearts to the love of their Master, Christ.

—Mirabai Starr, translator of The Showings of Julian of

Norwich and author of God of Love: A Guide to the Heart

of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and Caravan of No

Despair: A Memoir of Loss and Transformation

The genius of this book lies in its ability to introduce the reader to the heart of the mystics through tiny, sparkling jewels of their writings.

—Margaret Benefiel, author of Soul at

Work and The Soul of a Leader

With exceptional clarity Carl McColman snaps together words which lead us into the breadth, diversity, and depth of the Christian contemplative tradition. This book makes clear the fundamental distinction between mysticism and extraordinary phenomena. For this, I, for one, offer a deep bow of gratitude.

—Brother Elias Marechal, OCSO, Trappist monk

and author of Tears of an Innocent God

Christianity is a vast sea of wisdom, and yet most of us are content only to skim the surface. Carl McColman's introduction to the Christian mystics invites us to dive deep and discover a Christianity most of us have never even imagined.

—Rabbi Rami Shapiro, author of Perennial

Wisdom for the Spiritually Independent

Copyright © 2016 by Carl McColman

First Broadleaf Books Edition 2021.

Except for brief quotations in critical articles or review, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Email [e-mail] or write to Permissions, Broadleaf Books, PO Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209.

Cover photo by Jim Warner

Cover photograph: St. Francis of Assisi preaching to the birds (oil on panel),

Giotto di Bondone (c.1266-1337) / Louvre, Paris, France / Bridgeman Images

Interior by Howie Severson

Typeset in Warnock Pro

Print ISBN: 978-1-5064-8522-5

eBook ISBN: 978-1-5064-8577-5

Printed in the United States of America

For all the mystics,

and for all who have been inspired

by their silence and their words.

Contents

Introduction

The Nine Categories

Chapter 1: Visionaries

Chapter 2: Confessors

Chapter 3: Lovers

Chapter 4: Poets

Chapter 5: Saints

Chapter 6: Heretics

Chapter 7: Wisdom Keepers

Chapter 8: Soul Friends

Chapter 9: Unitives

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

Notes

Bibliography

Introduction

One day, I spoke with a teacher, for just a minute. It changed my life.

Mrs. Smith taught eighth grade English. I, being an introvert, rarely spoke up in her (or any other) class. One day, after returning a writing assignment to students, Mrs. Smith asked me to stay after class for a moment. It made me anxious, because in my mind the only reason a teacher would detain me was because I had done something so terribly wrong that the punishment had to be meted out in utmost secrecy.

Mrs. Smith did not ask me to linger after the bell to scold me, though, but to praise me.

Carl, do you like to write?

Well, yes, ma'am, I said nervously, not bearing to look her in the eye.

Because you write very well, she said. And if you enjoy it, then I think it's something you should pursue.

Yes, ma'am, I replied, and if I were paying attention to my Southern manners, I probably added, Thank you, ma'am.

That's all, Carl, she said. I just want to encourage you.

That's all indeed—a brief word of inspiration. But for an introverted, socially awkward geek like me, it proved momentous. To have my teacher pull me aside, praise me, and encourage me—that made all the difference in the world.

Four decades have passed, and now I'm the teacher—I teach writing to adult learners. And I'm a full-time professional writer with a blog and numerous books to my credit. And I still talk about Mrs. Smith because of that one little conversation forty years ago that helped me find the initial burst of confidence to follow this particular dream.

I suspect I'm not the only person to have been inspired by a teacher this way. You may have your own Mrs. Smith in your background, too. Teachers matter, more than we give them credit for. A word of insight, a moment of praise, a challenge, a suggestion for further study—these kinds of encounters form the heart of teaching and can make a life-changing world of difference for the student who is ready to receive such guidance. A teacher is not ultimately responsible for the successes (or failures) that any one student may achieve. But how the teacher may shape, or guide, or inspire, or encourage the student—such an impact can be huge and needs to be celebrated.

Sadly, we don't celebrate teachers in our society. We say disparaging things like Those who can't do, teach, implying that teachers are somehow the also-rans in life, second-tier wannabes who can't quite measure up to the real stars of business, politics, sports, or the arts. We blame teachers for how undisciplined our children may be, or for their falling test scores. And perhaps most damning of all, we celebrate the high school dropouts and never-went-to-college types who become wildly successful in their fields, assuming that this somehow proves that teachers (and education) are really not very necessary at all. I'll never let schooling get in the way of my education, as one smart aleck once told me.

Nowhere is our societal rejection of teachers more evident than in terms of spirituality. No guru, no method, no teacher! proclaimed the musician Van Morrison. Don't tell me what to believe is the rallying cry for today's spiritually independent seeker, who goes on to say, I don't need anyone to teach me, or anyone to guide me, no priest to absolve me or to bless me. We live in a culture that idolizes individualism and freedom—so who needs a teacher that might get in the way of our do-it-yourself spirituality?

But let's think this through. If a middle school language arts teacher just doing her job can make such an impact on a teenager's life, then maybe teachers—even spiritual teachers—matter more than we care to admit.

If the IRS accused you of fraud, would you hire an attorney who never bothered to go to law school or take the bar exam? Or if you needed to have your appendix removed, would you seek out just anyone who claimed to be a surgeon, with no concern for whether he or she was a medical school graduate and a licensed physician? Of course not. To be a professional requires years of training and study, and a mastery of knowledge and skill that is required for accreditation.

Here's my question: We understand that solving the mundane problems of life requires the assistance of someone with the knowledge and expertise to guide and help us. Doesn't it make sense that our hearts and souls, likewise, deserve the care and support of spiritual masters?

No man is an island, pointed out John Donne. Even though we live in a Lone Ranger society where the individual is king (or queen), in reality we all need and depend on one another. This is just as true when it comes to spirituality as to any other aspect of life.

My point is very simple: we need good spiritual teachers. We all do. This is true even if you consider yourself to be spiritual but not religious, or spiritually independent. If we are serious about nurturing our interior lives to our fullest potential, we need companions to show us the way as surely as a mountain climber making a first attempt to scale Mount Everest needs a skilled Sherpa to lead the expedition.

This is where the great mystics come in.

The mystics are our masters, our teachers, our guides. Granted, we remain responsible for our own spiritual lives. But their insight, guidance, inspiration, and encouragement can help us go farther than we ever dreamed possible.

Mystic, mystical, and mysticism are difficult and challenging words, with vague, abstract, and sometimes directly contradictory meanings. Evelyn Underhill, the renowned British scholar of Christian spirituality, wrote about this a century ago in her classic book Practical Mysticism:

The genuine inquirer will find before long a number of self-appointed apostles who are eager to answer his question in many strange and inconsistent ways . . . He will learn that mysticism is a philosophy, an illusion, a kind of religion, a disease; that it means having visions, performing conjuring tricks, leading an idle, dreamy, and selfish life, neglecting one's business, wallowing in vague spiritual emotions, and being in tune with the infinite. He will discover that it emancipates him from all dogmas—sometimes from all morality—and at the same time that it is very superstitious . . . At the end of a prolonged course of lectures, sermons, tea-parties, and talks with earnest persons, the inquirer is still heard saying—too often in tones of exasperation—"What is mysticism?"¹

At the risk of being just one more self-appointed apostle, here's my understanding of what makes someone a mystic. The Greek root for mystic and mysticism is mueo, which means to shut or to close, as in shutting one's mouth or closing one's eyes. It comes from the pagan mystery religions and originally suggested an initiate—someone who had been initiated into the spiritual mysteries, who had ritually received the secret knowledge or power of whichever god or goddess the particular religion revered. Once a person was initiated, he or she made a solemn promise never to divulge the secrets to outsiders. So the shutting or closing quality of mueo implied keeping the secrets or mysteries hidden, locked away in the heart or mind.

The writers of the New Testament adapted this language for Christian purposes. Some historians believe Christianity itself qualified as a type of mystery religion—after all, only baptized Christians could take communion or even participate in the communion liturgy. To this day, what Catholics and Protestants call sacraments are referred to as mysteries by the Eastern Orthodox Church—so baptism, communion, confirmation, and so forth are mysteries by which new Christians are initiated into the Body of Christ.

But even if Christianity originally maintained a veil of secrecy over its mystical rites, by the fourth century, when Christianity became a legal, accepted religion in the Roman Empire, this notion of holding secret knowledge or power was no longer part of its culture. Among Christians, the idea of mystery referred not so much to what is secret as to what is hidden. And topping the list of hidden things is God himself: as the prophet Isaiah wrote, Truly, you are a God who hides himself (Isaiah 45:15). Meanwhile, Jesus, the Son of God, represented the hidden things of God made manifest—and not only in Christ himself, but also in his followers, who were said to be part of his body. So mystery in Christianity involves the hidden things of God made manifest, or revealed, in the hearts and minds and spirituality of those who love God and follow Christ.

In every generation, in every century of the Christian era, men and women have existed who have exemplified this spirituality of manifesting the presence of God, the wisdom and power of God, the love and mercy of God, in their own lives, in their hearts and minds. On an external level, such people became renowned as saints—from the Latin word sanctus, meaning holy or consecrated. In the Western church especially, holiness came to be understood primarily in a moralistic sense: a holy person, or a saint, was someone who embodied extraordinary sanctity or virtue (qualities such as faith, hope, love, courage, justice, temperance, and prudence). So a saint is essentially an awesomely good person. And Christianity, especially in terms of the Catholic and Orthodox churches, developed a process for officially recognizing (canonizing) the saints.

There is no similar process for canonizing or officially recognizing a mystic. While the idea of sainthood came to be associated with almost supernatural levels of goodness, mystics encountered and embodied the presence of God in profound and life-changing ways. And the mystics (at least the ones we know about) shared their encounters with God through poetry, confessional or autobiographical writing, philosophy, theology, and spiritual teaching. The language of the mystics is often deeply beautiful, expressing love of God, communion with God, even union with God (which sometimes got some mystics in trouble with the less spiritually inclined authorities in the Church).

Of course, many mystics have also been recognized as saints, and some authors suggest that it is impossible to be a saint without also being a mystic.² But the two words have distinct meanings, at least in popular usage: a saint is someone who is good and holy, while a mystic is someone who knows God, who embodies the presence of God, and whose life has been transfigured by this divine presence. Put even more briefly, saints embody goodness while mystics embody love.

There's plenty of overlap here. But this is one way to understand the distinction.

What makes someone a mystic is less about a top-down kind of approval and more about an organic, broad-based recognition on the part of the people whose lives have been touched. In other words (and this brings us back to Mrs. Smith), mystics teach us how to find God, and a great mystic is someone who has been recognized as doing this particularly well.

The first Christian mystics appear in the Bible, figures like John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus. But mysticism didn't end when the Bible was written. Great mystics appear in every century of Christian history. By the fourth and fifth centuries, when Christianity became socially acceptable in the cities of the Roman Empire, remote wilderness locations like the deserts of Egypt and Palestine or the forests of Ireland became home to many saints and mystics. Out of the deserts came the first monasteries, intentional communities of Christians who sought to give their entire lives to God. As this movement caught on throughout the Christian world, it became a natural home for great mystics and visionaries; and, indeed, nearly all of the great mystics between the fifth and the fifteenth centuries lived as monks or nuns. But with the dawn of the modern era—and the social changes such as the Renaissance and the Reformation in particular—monasteries became less central to Catholic Christianity and were largely rejected by the Protestant churches, so in recent centuries more mystics have emerged who did not live in a cloister. By the twentieth century, several important figures, such as Evelyn Underhill and Karl Rahner, began to insist that mysticism was not just a special quality for the elite Christians found in abbeys or convents, but rather everyone is meant to be a mystic. Indeed, Rahner, widely recognized as one of the greatest of twentieth-century theologians, famously remarked that the Christian of the future will be a mystic or . . . will not exist at all.³

Those are challenging words, especially for Christians who may not think of themselves as mystics at all—which is probably most Christians. But here is a more inspirational perspective from the Carmelite friar William McNamara: the mystic is not a special kind of person; each person is a special kind of mystic.⁴ Rahner's point is important, but it needs to be framed this way: in order for Christianity to survive, all Christians need to discover the mystical heartbeat that is already alive in the center of our tradition—and our souls. Put another way, mysticism is not something we achieve; it is something we receive.

But how do we discover the mystical heartbeat hidden deep within us? How do we find out what special kind of mystic we are called to be? Certainly, the ultimate guide to union with God can only be God himself. But God is assisted in this task by the wisdom and the writings of the great mystics throughout history.

Not all mystics are writers, of course. But the ones who made the effort to record their life stories, their insights, their wisdom, their poetry and teachings, are the ones who have left behind lessons, so to speak, in the school for the love of God. Saint Benedict, who wrote a holy rule for monks, describes a monastery as a school of the Lord's service. Later generations of monks, especially Cistercian monks,⁵ expanded on this idea and saw the spiritual life as a school of charity or school of love.

This brings us back to talking about teachers. We who seek to grow spiritually are like children ushered off to school for their education and personal growth. God is the principal or headmaster, and the saints and mystics are the various teachers and coaches who will interact with us on a day-to-day basis. Our goal, therefore, is to learn: to learn the curriculum of a truly spiritual life, a curriculum grounded in love, mercy, tenderness, compassion, forgiveness, hope, trust, simplicity, silence, peace, and joy. To embody union with God is to discover these beautiful characteristics emerging from within and slowly transfiguring us to remake us in the very image and likeness of God himself.

One of the interesting qualities of the mystics is that they are hardly uniform. Mystics come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some of them are profound